(TV) Re: TV Digest V1 #503

[wal00@hampshire.edu]

i'm back again, and i've changed my mind. the drums aren't really my beef, and 
a live sound isn't really what i think is sorely lacking, but it's the effects 
verlaine uses on his guitar that irks me, and by these i mean any that alter 
the uneffected clean gtr tone. it's frustrating cuz his playing stands so 
goddamn well on it's own, w/out the "aid" of any tone tricks. he's probably the 
only person i can forgive for using that srv-overdrive tone. really, on "the 
scientist writes a letter" the effects get a little out of hand, and most 
anywhere that he uses echo and all that other shit it just seems inappropriate 
and unnecessary. the effects seem to downplay, and even mock, the sheer 
ingenuity and beauty of his playing. i'm mainly talking about "cover" 
and "flashlight"(which i also think is one of his best), but these issues exist 
for me, to a lesser extent, on "words from the front" and "dreamtime" too. (i 
admit to not owning "the wonder", and on "warm and cool" he returns to his 
stripped down sound).
however, this post by wendy's founder dave thomas quite rightly points out that 
it was just the way things were produced during that wonderous era. i am aware 
of this, and i realize the pointlessness of criticizing these albums 
(especially on this list), because it goes nowhere and no albums are perfect. i 
do think, though, that the verlaine-worship that takes place here builds these 
albums up beyond where they deserve to be. although, maybe this is because they 
are idiotically ignored and sadly underrated everywhere else, except here, and 
people are merely making up for it. i'm talking music, though, cuz lyrically 
they're all brilliant.
willie
> Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 15:57:20 -0700
> From: "gregg luvoxx" <murderedman@earthlink.net>
> Subject: RE: (TV) shameful taste/ 80s digital dungeon
> 
> Listening to the first four (MM, Adv.,TV, Dreamtime), I close my eyes
> and I
> see 2 inch tape rolling and the (presumably) bearded engineer
> listening
> intently over the most state of the art audiophile recording tech at
> the
> time. It stands up to whatever ELO/ELP type prog rock played by Dr.
> Johnny
> Fever at that time (late 1970s), whilst utilizing a band set-up similar
> to
> any late 50's Sun Records date. Instead of extraneous synth
> instrumentation,
> the men of Television used jazz influenced guitar jams and finely
> sketched
> lyrics (Verlaine - "Birds chirp ('chirp') They're giving you the words.
> A
> word is just a feeling you overtook"). In '77 I was six and I was GLUED
> to
> FM rock radio. Sure I liked 'We Are The Champions' and 'Walk On The
> Wild
> Side', but damn them for not letting me hear 'Venus De Milo'. How would
> my
> six year old rock mind have reacted to 'Don't Worry About The
> Government' by
> Talking Heads?
> 
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: tv-owner@obbard.com [mailto:tv-owner@obbard.com]On Behalf Of
> >wal00@hampshire.edu
> >
> > i really don't experience this discomfort, but what i really meant
> was
> that the
> tv albums, to me, seem to suffer from some kind of production that makes
> the
> music sound, well, really produced. of course, i use mm, adventure, and
> tv
> as
> verifying points, but the rest of the albums, although extraordinairy
> in
> songwriting and musicianship, lacks the realness, or organic quality, of
> the
> earlier work.
> >
> >
> 
> Later on, in the era of 'Born In The U.S.A.' with it's boisterous,
> mechanical success and 'Bette Davis Eyes' maybe, or starting with Gary
> Numan's 'Cars' (I'm talking FM radio hits here), I close my eyes and
> see
> more blipping digital LED readouts. I see Sting marveling at his
> friend's
> new Bennetton sweatshirt. Kenny Loggins calls me from the 'Danger Zone'.
> I
> 'get nervous'. Frankie tells me to 'relax'. Byrne tells me to 'Stop
> making
> sense' Who should I believe?
> 
> >>
> >>Leo wrote:
> >> Say more about the drumming---like what particular drumming .
> >so "WILL" adds
> >i can't think of any stand-out trax right now, and i'm away from my
> collection,
> but the drums, for the most part and when audible enough, sound like
> synth
> drums with that deep, gushing tom-tom sustain that sounds like a wave
> crashings
> against rocks after each hit. i seem to remember that "without a word"
> is a
> good example of this.
> >
> >
> 
> It seems that when Albums are Produced (as opposed to recorded on
> cassette
> to demo a gig at the local Budweiser Dispensery) great pains are taken
> to
> imagine how a single might gel with an already existing playlist. At
> the
> time of Flashlight, MTV was a major force and that should be taken
> into
> account. Maybe the Madonna type 'dance' sound went better with the
> slick
> futuristic videos played at the time. In the late 1970s saturated
> guitar
> sounds still ruled. Video music had to be stripped down so the
> videostar
> could do that 'Wake me up before you go go' soft shoe thing. So here's
> a
> collection of songs that will make up 'Flashlight'. Verlaine, Smith and
> Rip
> burn layers of guitar/word art genius sounds and Miles Copeland at IRS
> and
> whoever at Phonogram UK is wondering what to do with it. Sting calls
> and
> says, "get that lad a bolo tie and some yellow hightops." Mr. Mister
> adds,
> "Open with 'Cry Mercy Judge'; it'll get the crowd finger snapping
> whilst
> dancing geometrically". But alas, John Hughs begins to target his films
> to
> the familt rather than the teen audience. The business goes bust. The
> rest
> of the execs grab their new Belinda Carlilse CDs, leave for three year
> holidays and return just in time for the marraige of Kurt Cobain and
> "Weird"
> Al Yankovich. Then Vanilla Ice invents rap and Verlaine waits by his
> answering machine, smoking.
> 
> >>
> >> I think you need some new friends.
> >i value your opinion.
> >
> 
> And so do we.
> 
> Dave Thomas
> 
> Founder of Wendy's
> - --------------
> To post: Mail tv@obbard.com
> To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe
> tv"
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> End of TV Digest V1 #503
> ************************
> 
> --------------
> To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe
> tv-digest"
--------------
To post: Mail tv@obbard.com
To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe tv"